:: August 08
11 August, USPGA Championship
Finishing ninth equal with Alastair Forsyth, Jeev Milkha Singh and Charlie Wi has given me a glimmer of hope, a bit of respectability after a frustrating season. I didn't have my A game this week and these golf courses are absolutely insanely difficult and if you are not playing to your best you are really struggling and fighting all the time. I showed good fighting spirit to play my last eleven holes in one under par. That was important for me. That gave me a bit of self respect.
My putting has been superb this week. That has delighted me the most. When I get on a golf course now which is not so tough I expect to make some birdies because I am beginning to roll the ball so much better. I am excited about the rest of the season.
Today was hard. I gave myself 9 1/2 out of ten in my second round but this morning I got a little bit rattled when I made a triple bogey. The good news is that I am bouncing back with birdies quite regularly so obviously I am keeping myself in the right frame of mind. Considering I didn't play all that well, to finish relatively well on a golf course like this I have to be mentally pretty strong.
It was obviously a good week as far as the Europe Ryder Cup is concerned. Sergio has played his way in. Paul Casey has done himself some good and so have I. Every penny counts now in the last few weeks of the race. Some of the key guys are showing some form - and so am I.
I don't know whether I have done enough yet to get into the Europe team for the Ryder Cup match next month. I hope so but I might not have. I might have to head to Europe to play the Dutch and the Scottish. I have entered both but I am not sure yet. Maybe I will play, play well there and then come back to the US to play in one of the FedEx Cup events. I don't know. It is a frustrating situation. I will have to consult with Marcus Day, my manager, and see what the Ryder Cup points table tells us.
I have to rush to catch a private plane home to Orlando now to get home in time for a photo shoot at 8.00 am tomorrow. Then I am going to put my feet up for the rest of the week and have a few beers. This week has taken a lot out of all the players and I want to recharge the batteries. I am not sure a week off is enough after a week like this.
25 August, KLM Open
The Dutch open is a historic event for me as it was my first event as a professional 10 years ago. Now a decade later it was a significant event for me as I try to secure my spot in my first Ryder Cup team! The week was a little disappointing in the end as I finished T34th and made €13,000 to let a couple of the guys creep a little closer to me! I still sit in 8th spot and am looking good for a spot on the team. At this stage every Euro counts so making the trip back to Europe could be valuable.
I had high hopes of a great week as I liked the golf course and felt in control of the game. After a pleasing 67 to open the tournament I seemed to fall a little flat. The good putts slid by and I missed a couple too many fairways. With the remnents of a little jet lag I actually didn't sleep all that well which is unusual for me so maybe it caught up with me later in the week?
My plan A was to play well and beat my nearest challengers so I could go back to America and join the Fedex Cup playoffs a week late. Instead, I am heading to Scotland for the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles to finish off the job I came to do! Sacrificing the Fedex Cup to play my 1st Ryder Cup is definitely worth it. Hopefully there will be 20 more FedEx Cups to enjoy! Darren Clarke winning certainly has added some spice to the wild card debate and with a week to go I'm sure you're all enjoying watching it unfold! I'll be glad to play well and have the team finalised finally! Wish me luck. Justin
